• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Spectrum Group Online

Decisions Made with Data.

  • What We Do
    • What We Do
    • SEO
      • White Hat SEO
      • Local SEO
      • Schema for Advanced SEO
      • Website SEO Audit
      • Link Building
      • Penalty Recovery
    • Google Analytics Services
      • Google Analytics Audit
    • Pay Per Click
      • Google Ads
      • Bing Ads
    • Content Marketing
    • Social Media
    • WordPress
      • WordPress Websites
      • WordPress Maintenance
  • Pricing
    • Our Pricing
    • PPC Pricing
    • Brand-Only PPC
  • Case Studies
    • Our Case Studies
    • Testimonials
  • About
    • About Spectrum
    • Who We Are
    • Upcoming Events
    • Certifications
    • Tools We Use
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • What We Do
    • What We Do
    • SEO
      • White Hat SEO
      • Local SEO
      • Schema for Advanced SEO
      • Website SEO Audit
      • Link Building
      • Penalty Recovery
    • Google Analytics Services
      • Google Analytics Audit
    • Pay Per Click
      • Google Ads
      • Bing Ads
    • Content Marketing
    • Social Media
    • WordPress
      • WordPress Websites
      • WordPress Maintenance
  • Pricing
    • Our Pricing
    • PPC Pricing
    • Brand-Only PPC
  • Case Studies
    • Our Case Studies
    • Testimonials
  • About
    • About Spectrum
    • Who We Are
    • Upcoming Events
    • Certifications
    • Tools We Use
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
You are here: Home / SEO / What is Semantic SEO?

What is Semantic SEO?

Updated June 17, 2022

February 6, 2017 //  by Massimo Paolini//  Leave a Comment

what is semantic seo

Evolution of Search Behavior

Semantic SEO refers to a question or search phrase that produces meaningful results, even when the results don’t contain an exact match of the words or phrases used. Basically, it means the search algorithm is smart enough to interpret a searcher’s intent (and potentially context of their search) to deliver an answer to their question.  Semantic SEO is an important concept especially if you’re creating a long-term White Hat SEO strategy because artificial intelligence in search is evolving beyond “keywords.”

Download SEO Content Template now

Name(Required)
Privacy(Required)

Read More

In this Free eBook:

    • Easy to use checklist
    • Use SEO best practices
    • Optimize pages & blog posts

Ethical SEO Techniques Provide Longevity

The SEO world can be volatile, unpredictable, and frustrating. I guess that’s why I love it so much; it stretches my imagination and challenges my skillsets. 2016 was a year of big SEO changes. I anticipate 2017 to be full of updates and massive fluctuations. Google continues to chase and shut down websites that don’t cater to the human audience. When you use ethical techniques — also called White Hat SEO — then you’re simply following Google’s quality guidelines, like:

  • Create rich content for users not search engine bots
  • Understand how users access your website (e.g., mobile, desktop) and make the experience pleasant/easy
  • Don’t use any tactics meant to deceive your users
  • Avoid tricks in order to get better visibility in search (rankings)
  • Help Google find and understand your pages (technical things like metadata, sitemaps, and schema)

What is Semantic SEO?

The term “semantic SEO” has been around since 2002. I actually did a Google Trend on this search keyword. There were two major spikes in popularity (March 2006 and then again in May 2008). So, it’s not really new terminology. We’re just seeing artificial intelligency in search getting better. Here’s a concise definition offered by Tamas Doszkocs of WebLib:

Semantic search is a search or a question or an action that produces meaningful results, even when the retrieved items contain none of the query terms, or the search involves no query text at all.

Yikes, Moz may consider this a concise definition of “What is Semantic SEO” but you’re probably still scratching your head. I think Mashable’s definition is a bit better:

Semantic search uses artificial intelligence to understand the searcher’s intent and the meaning of the query and not parsing through keywords like a dictionary. When you search now, Google gives you results based solely on the text and the keywords that you put in that search. Essentially, Google gives you its best guess. When you use semantic search, Google will dive into the relationship between those words, how they work together, and attempt to understand what those words mean.

In a nutshell, semantic SEO refers to search results that don’t contain your exact search term. It’s guessing at your intent and delivering things it thinks you are looking for. Here’s an example. I searched for “organic face moisturizer.” The SERP returned great results including “natural moisturizer” even though it wasn’t in my original search.

BallAn Appetite for More?

If you’re hungry for more data about “what is Semantic SEO,” then check out these articles. Warning: they are dry and technical. I purposefully chose reputable sources in the ever-evolving SEO industry:

  1. Moz – Semantic SEO Questions
  2. Search Engine Land – How Web Retailers Can Profit with Semantic SEO
  3. Mashable – How Google’s Semantic Search Will Change SEO

Predictions for More Change

Now with voice-activated search, our search behaviors are changing. We’ll probably see compound search phrases evolve — combining search strings or multi-part search queries — as technology continues to evolve. Another imminent change is Google’s split of its index, emphasizing the mobile version over the desktop version. Websites designed for the mobile experience will appear higher in search than laggards.

The good news is that you don’t need to understand the nitty-gritty of SEO to improve and maintain your organic visibility in search. The key is to consistently deliver quality content that drives readership and inbound links. Focus on the subject matter and how your audience uses/interacts with it. Or, outsource it to an SEO company that can explain this geeky stuff for you in a way that actually helps your business grow and make money on the Web. Otherwise, what’s the point… right?

Now you know the answers to “What is Semantic SEO.” So how will it change (or not) your SEO strategy?

Download SEO Content Template now

Name(Required)
Privacy(Required)

Read More

In this Free eBook:

    • Easy to use checklist
    • Use SEO best practices
    • Optimize pages & blog posts

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit

Category: SEO

About Massimo Paolini

Massimo is Co-CEO and Chief Data Scientist. On the web since the 90’s and a Google Partner since 2014, his expertise includes technical SEO, search marketing, marketing analytics/analysis, and online advertising. Massimo has an innate ability to sift through a sea of data, uncovering insights that formulate results-oriented strategies. He has taught Digital Marketing, Google Ads and SEO at UC Berkeley Extension since 2014—and presented at international search marketing conferences like SMXL in Milan.

Previous Post: « Facebook Engagement Tips for 2017
Next Post: Digital Trends For 2017 »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Case Studies
  • Content
  • Links
  • Local SEO
  • News & Events
  • PPC
  • Sales
  • SEO
  • Social Media
  • Web Analytics
  • Web Design & Development

Recent Posts

  • Content Syndication, Distribution, & Contribution
  • Elementor vs. WordPress Gutenberg
  • B2B Content Marketing Trends in 2022
  • Maximize Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
  • Introduction to Web Accessibility: Why, Types & ADA Compliance

Footer

Spectrum Group Online

About Us
Certifications
Contact Us

spectrum@spectrum-group-online.com
(408) 883-2276
San Jose, CA 95129

Stay On Top Of Your Game

Digital Marketing never stands still. Keep up with the latest online marketing trends, sign up for our monthly newsletter. We promise no SPAM and no sales pitches.

"*" indicates required fields

Privacy*

Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram YouTube

Copyright © 2022 Spectrum Group Online, LLC | All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Site Map

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT